Will Napoli lose touch in the title race?
Critical phases are part of life for a promoted team. Fabio Grosso and his team are currently going through a rough patch, waiting for a win for six league games (3D, 3L) and most recently losing to two top Italian teams without scoring (0-2 vs. AS Roma, 0-3 vs. Juventus). According to our Napoli vs. Sassuolo tip, this streak will continue.
Another defeat would not change much in the current situation of the reigning second division champions. They still have a nine-point lead over the first relegation spot – according to our Napoli vs. Sassuolo prediction, the visitors will remain in a secure mid-table position.
Representing the bookmakers’ assessments, we take the Napoli – Sassuolo betting odds from the Bet-at-Home app. There, a Partenopei victory will only bring you 1.50 times your stake. So far, the hosts have not lost a home game in the current Serie A season (6W, 3D) and have retained the most points per game on average in their own stadium (2.33 PPS).
Goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic was not beaten by Parma (0-0) in their last game, but he was also left untroubled for long periods of the match. Only one shot flew at his goal – and that posed no problems for the 28-year-old. The 2.02 m tall goalkeeper has rarely been called into action this season.
Milinkovic-Savic can thank his teammates, who have allowed the fewest shots on their goalkeeper’s goal in the league (52). Both in open play and from set pieces, the organization is spot on – a classic feature of a team coached by Antonio Conte.
It is rare for them to go a game without scoring – the goalless draw against Parma (0-0) can certainly be considered an exception. Prior to that, SSC had scored twice in six consecutive competitive games.
Napoli – Sassuolo Head-to-head record / H2H balance
There are many indications that the result will be similar to the match on the first day of the current season. At that time, the reigning champions from southern Italy started the new season with a smooth 2-0 win against Sassuolo. Grosso’s team had few chances to score and only managed 0.4 expected goals.
With this victory at the start of the season, the Azzurri extended their winning streak against the promoted team to six consecutive wins. Four of the five previous matches between Napoli and Sassuolo were won by the Partenopei without conceding a goal.
Napoli – Sassuolo Tip
Conte’s team is disciplined on almost every matchday. Napoli rarely makes mistakes in defense and allows opposing teams to penetrate the penalty area only very rarely. No team in the league has allowed a lower rate of opponent shots from inside their own penalty area than the defending champions (53.66 percent).
In conjunction with the fewest shots allowed on their own goal (52), this figure is even more impressive. As is so often the case with a team led by Antonio Conte, we are talking about one of the best defenses in the competition. Five clean sheets in the last seven competitive games reinforce this thesis.
Furthermore, the hosts are yet to lose at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona this league season (6W, 3D) and have conceded less than one goal per home game (8 goals in 9 home games). Defending against set pieces is rarely a problem.
No club has conceded fewer goals from set pieces in the current Serie A season than Napoli (2). In line with this, the number of expected goals conceded from set pieces (3.26 xGA) is only slightly lower than SSC’s at Inter Milan (3.25 xGA).
